


Mine!

by DixieDale



Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 19:00:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14721782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: When had she gotten so possessive?  It was hardly like her.  The two very attractive and charming newcomers were there to share an upcoming mission in Greece.  The team seemed to be fine with them, even more than fine, so why is the Dragon so uncomfortable?  Watching the woman captivate their resident pickpocket, Meghada puts her discomfort down to a little unwelcome jealousy, but is that all there is to her uneasiness?  Is it really an issue she, with a little help from her cousin Cally, need to figure it out in time to prevent a disaster?  Or does the redhead just really need to kick that green-eyed monster to the curb where it belongs?  If only that inner Dragon would stop all that bloody hissing maybe she could figure it all out!





	Mine!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, the Clan has been around for one hell of a long time, and has made the acquaintance of many of the 'non-human' persuasion. Although the instances are certainly less than back in the earliest days, still, it would be a mistake to think of all those who inhabit the story books to be long gone. Perhaps they are still here, but have just learned to conceal themselves better, or maybe the Outlanders' 'more modern, more enlightened' viewpoint (as Actor would perhaps surmise) has made it harder to pick them out of a crowd. Whichever, there's just something about the turmoil of war that seems to draw them out of the shadows, as it tends to draw out the darker parts of the human soul.

"I do not think they have been in this country for very long, although their English is quite good; they are quite well educated. They are Greek, refugees from the war; I believe they have been assisting in getting some agents in place, what with their knowledge of the country and the people. Major Richards says they have been quite helpful. We will be working with them on an upcoming mission, and it was felt we needed to be somewhat acquainted since the job will be, shall we say, unusually complicated. Meghada, you are to be included, if not on the mission, then in the planning since you know some of the people involved as well."

Actor was explaining to the team just why they were meeting the young couple waiting in the library. After all, non-military types didn't show up too often, well, except for locals, and Major Richards' sister and her very fashionable and, to the team's way of thinking, very odd friends. And, of course, except for the O'Donnells, mostly Meghada, but occasionally others as well.

"What were their names again?" Garrison asked. He had been tied up in a debriefing, and Actor had been pulled aside to act in his place in the introductions.

"Lelantos, Lexie and Alesandro Lelantos", at which a slightly odd look came over the face of the young redhaired woman curled up in one of the armchairs.

"Very unusual name, especially combined with the first names." And she asked, "Brother and sister? Husband and wife?"

"Major Richards did not say. Is that relevant?"

"Hell, yes, it's relevant! Especially if she's a looker! And from what I saw out the window, I'd say she is. Built like a brick . . .uh, library," glancing back at Meghada. "You know, really stacked!" That got a few laughs. They all left what they'd been doing and headed into the library to meet the young couple, who, they learned, were neither siblings or spouses, but first cousins, the only ones of their family remaining from the Italian encursion into Greece. 

The two were charming, and the men were assuredly charmed. Both Lexie and Alesandro were most attractive, black curly hair, smooth sunkissed olive complexions, graceful and pleasing in form, with particularly alluring voices, and a way about them that drew others to them. Garrison was relieved; his guys didn't do all that well with outsiders, and if this mission was going to be as intense as he was told, at least he wouldn't have to deal with any snipping and quarreling.

He did notice Meghada, while at her polite social best, was not projecting quite the warmth as the men were obviously feeling. {"Well, she is the Ice Queen; the real surprise was when she actually took to the guys in the first place. Richards says that's so rare he'd have bet big bucks against it happening, with my team or any other for that matter."} Still, in the pleasant conversation that followed between the Lelantos and the young redhead, somewhere in the echoes of the three voices, he sensed something, something challenging, something strident; he could almost imagine the hissing of giant cats. He watched carefully, listened carefully, and now, he could sense nothing out of the ordinary. {"I obviously need to get more sleep!"}

Meghada had often noted, with some amusement, that that was Garrison's usual reaction to anything his senses picked up that he didn't want to acknowledge. She thought now, his face telling her he was once again contemplating his faulty sleep patterns, {"that may be easier than dealing openly with the more unusual of life's little occurrences, but too much like sticking your head in the sand like an ostrich for my tastes. Leaves your arse sticking up there, all unprotected!"}

Yes, there were undercurrents, and yes, she was not happy with these two being here, being anywhere near the team. She was not quite sure why, yet, but she would figure it out. She had the feeling she needed to do that rather quickly, certainly before they left on this joint mission, a mission she was NOT invited to be a part of, except in the planning. {"Well, not yet, anyway. If I haven't figured it out beforehand, I'll see that I go along, if I have to hold a few choice secrets over Kevin's head!"} She had the very uncomfortable feeling that she was missing something, overlooking something, something that should be obvious, but wasn't.

Alexandro had Actor ensnared with a story about a Greek antique dealer and a treasure trove, and the tall Italian had a relaxed smile on his face that rarely appeared there. {"I'd forgotten what it was like, to be with someone with the same interests, the same knowledge, a certain level of sophisticaton - a true equal. So extraordinarily pleasant!"}

Lexie had Goniff similarly enraptured, showing him the rather exquisite necklace she was wearing, which required him to be very close and, since the pendant hung rather low, well, his view of her assets was enough to have him turning slightly pink and breathing just a bit faster. {"Not often someone like this takes a shine to someone like me; a real looker she is."}

"Think I just might take up an interest in jewelry," muttered the rather sullen Casino, annoyed that she'd decided to display first to the little pickpocket.

"Now, Pappy, I imagine she'll give you a good look too; just be patient," Chief said with a smirk not quite in his usual style. For his money, he'd rather spend some time with Alexandro; the man was wearing a belt knife unlike anything the young man had ever seen, and he wanted a closer look. {"Someone maybe more like me than you'd think; be nice ta get to know him better; maybe he'd show me that knife, have a few tricks I aint seen before."}

Garrison murmured to the young woman watching the interaction so carefully, "well, at least everyone's getting along," and the look he got in return was inscrutable, to say the least. He looked back over the room, {"ah, she's probably a little annoyed at the way Goniff is drooling down the front of that dress."} He'd suspected, ever since that incident in Paris, and then again with Corporal Samson, that the redhead had a special liking for their resident pickpocket, {"independent contract agent, considered highly dangerous, and our little pickpocket,"} he thought with great amusement, {"not exactly who I would have thought she'd be attracted to, or him either for that matter!"}

For himself, he was finding it vaguely amusing, that the small Englishman seemed to have made more of an impression than the brash Casino or the sophisticated Actor. Chief wouldn't have approached her, or probably let himself be approached, but the Englishman, he was more than a little pleased with himself. {"As long as it doesn't cause a problem with HER; Major Richards told me a few stories, and I've seen enough to know that getting on her bad side can be unpleasant."}

He determined to take the redhead aside, if necessary, and issue a few warnings of his own, about setting personal feelings aside, about professionalism, that sort of thing. Somehow the idea left him with the image of a ringmaster facing a lion, or maybe a tiger, complete with a mouthful of snarling teeth. He wondered if he should be carrying a gun when he initiated that conversation, or maybe a long whip. {"Oh, well, maybe it'll all blow over."} He turned his attention back to the room, that benevolent smile return to his face, {"it's so nice to see them all getting along so nicely,"} and Meghada had to wonder at that slightly vacuous look on his face, {"looks like Goniff when he's trying to pretend he's the village simpleton!"}

She waited til the young couple left before she said her goodnights; it just seemed best that way. All of the men at the Mansion seemed to be wearing unusually contented smiles, and their farewells, as she made her own, seemed somehow off, slightly disoriented. {"Yes, I'll be making some phone calls when I get home. I know what Garrison is thinking and, yes, I did NOT like her drawing Goniff to her like that, or his reaction to her. But it's not just that; I wasn't pleased with her OR him and the attraction they had for ANY of the men, or the easy acceptance they found with the Lieutenant. He's usually much more on guard, innately suspicious; well, at least he certainly was with me."} She knew that most would think she was jealous, but she didn't think that was it, not entirely anyway. Something just wasn't right about those two. Not that she wasn't jealous; she just didn't think that was the entire problem.

Still, by their second meeting, she was starting to feel more relaxed, more inclined to put her feelings down to jealousy, an emotion heretofore unknown to her, and a feeling that was starting to fade the more time she spent in the company of those rather charming cousins. It didn't feel quite right, but she hadn't been able to come up with any reason for concern. Their backgrounds had checked out; their files seemed legitimate; they were making a special attempt to be pleasant to her, as if aware of her reservations. Halfway through the evening, when she found herself in a corner being regaled with pleasantries by the ever so handsome and witty Alexandro, {"why didn't I notice just HOW handsome he is? He's actually quite delightful. I don't believe I've ever met anyone quite like him,"} she found herself musing, with a quiet smile on her face.

Later, when Lexie made the effort to talk with her, she found herself equally at ease, {"can't imagine why I thought I didn't like her; she is really much like one of the Clan, feels almost like talking to one of my sisters,"} she considered thoughtfully. {"Her voice is as charming as one could imagine, perhaps the most charming thing about her, and him as well, though they are certainly not with an abundance of other charms!"} And when she caught sight of Lexie ruffling that flaxen-blond hair, to the blushing, laughing accompaniment from the slender pickpocket, she only smiled in amusement.

Perhaps that was it, that she was amused at that sight; something inside her rebelled in a spitting, snarling hissy fit at the sheer wrongness of that, and she found herself blinking rapidly, and the room took on a certain haze, as if seen through the faint steam arising from an overheated pavement, though that passed when Alexandro spoke to her and distracted her from the sight. Enough remained, however, that she resolved to call in the morning and speak to one who might be able to reassure her she was being foolish, just overcome by her first encounter with the green-eyed monster.

Still, the evening passed pleasantly enough, surely nothing to account for the troubled dreams, and finally, the outright nightmare that sought her in her sleep. She woke, heart pounding, eyes and face wet with desperate tears, throat raw from her screams. And she rose from her bed, though it was still well before morning, and picked up the phone, and did what she probably should have done in the first place, she told herself in some frustration, called for help.

"Didn't think you'd mind, Lieutenant, seeing as she was in town. You haven't worked with her yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time; she runs in the same harness. Kevin Richards, you know. Cally, this is Lieutenant Garrison, Goniff, Chief, Casino, Actor. Gentlemen, my cousin, Cally. And of course, our newest colleagues, Lexi and Alexandro Lelantos." She smiled as she made the introductions. And they mixed and mingled and again Meghada found herself smiling maternally as the lovely Lexi sought out Goniff and Casino, as Alexandro favored Actor and Chief, and Garrison smiled over them all like a genial uncle.

"Meghada. Meghada!" came the sharp whisper from Cally. "Snap out of it, cousin! Here, lay your hand on my arm; focus on ME, not them!"

Mehada gave a slight frown, {"but I was listening to that story! Why does she have to talk to me now??!"} There was a bit of a pout forming on those lips, til she heard herself, and gave a slight shake, looking at her cousin with widening eyes.

Cally gave a tiny sigh, "are you back with me now? I think we may need to get you some wax for your ears, or else find another way to block them out."

They excused themselves, left the others thinking they were headed to the loo. "Your nightmare, it tells the story, hon. Her voice, capturing your attention, of course, could just as easily be his. The other one, hunting, stalking, making the kill. 'Lelantos', that's what it means, if you remember your Greek. 'Stalker'. And their first names? Male, female versions of the same meaning, a prime bit of irony, 'Mankind's Protector'." I haven't heard anything about them, these two specifically, I mean, but if legend is right, they are probably Machlyes, and if your men ever got beneath that dress, those trousers, they'd be in for a surprise, though they might not be lucid enough by then to realize or even care. Mirror image hermaphrodites, with a myriad of talents. Seems like this pair have a rather special way of luring their prey; those voices, I've not heard anything like them before. Siren intermix, perhaps. If I wasn't resistant to external magic, I'd probably have been caught up just as much as the others."

Meghada shuddered; she didn't like to think she was so susceptible. Cally gave her a rueful grin. "I think when you didn't fall for that the first night, they 'upped the strength'; we each have our talents, cousin; don't beat yourself up for lacking that particular one - you have others I certainly don't have."And Meghada nodded, but still more than upset that she had let danger come so close to those she now counted as 'hers'.

"Now what? Do I confront them now? Is it safe to wait? And, what exactly, would I be waiting for? What would constitute the 'best' time?" Cally's face grew grim, stern. "I see little value in waiting; their influence grows stronger, and there is no telling when they will make a move. Perhaps they will wait til the team is in Greece, their home territory, where there will be no one to tell the tale; perhaps their power will be even stronger there, more difficult to overcome."

"There is to be a final meeting tomorrow night. Now or then?"

"Let's see what it looks like inside; we can make a decision then." But when they returned, the Lelantos couple had already made their excuses and left; the O'Donnell's did the same, noticing the men were still in a bit of a pleasant daze. Who knows what the Lelantos did that night; the cousins stood guard, in the shadows, having returned in all silence, Meghada now with a sturdy charm in her grasp to help her resist those damnable voices.

If the men were surprised to find the two in the kitchen drinking coffee at sunrise, they shrugged it off as just another pecularity associated with the Clan, and little was said except for Garrison's slightly exasperated, "run out of coffee at the cottage, ladies?" And that elicited the return pleasantry, "no, just anything to sweeten it with, so came here so your smiling faces could do the trick," especially amusing since only Goniff tended to have a smile on his face that early in the morning, and that elicited only by the prospect of breakfast.

The final meeting before the Lelantos were due to return to London to prepare for the mission was held, as always, in the library. The two redheads made sure to be there early, before the visitors, so that they could intercede before those voices could get a good hold. Meghada had noticed that the men were much more clear eyed, rational before those meetings than once they got started.

As soon as the Greek couple arrived, she held up her hands for silence, with a grin. She then held up a tall bottle with an impressive label, and after everyone had their glass filled with the good brandy she had brought, two of the glasses laced with a tiny pinch of a mixture of herbs and salt, she smiled at them all, and said, "I propose a toast," effectively silencing any opening words the two might have. "To the Lelantos." And she raised and swallowed the content of her glass quickly, although that got a bit of a frown from actor, him thinking that was hardly the way to drink a fine brandy, and the others all followed suit. Slight frowns came to the two visitors as they licked their lips, looked with some puzzlement at each other then back to their glasses. .

She continued quickly, "Who in choosing their names, evidenced the most impressive of ironies. Alexandro, Lexi - male, female equivalents - it means, by the way, 'Mankind's Protectors'." Any remaining semblence of a smile was gone from the couple now, replaced with flared nostrils, and tight lips.The team, Garrison included, were just looking bewildered, but as Garrison started to speak, Cally cut him off with a halting motion of her hand, and a warning shake of her head.

"Lelantos - the Stalkers. I admire the voices, by the way. Absolutely mesmerizing, as I'm sure you know. You use them quite effectively, and I am sure, most successfully." And her face slowly shifted into something stern, cold, regal, and her voice lowered, not to her usual husky tones that came when she was deeply moved, but to something harsh and commanding. "But not with any who are MINE!"

And Lexi smiled a smile equally as cold, "and you intend to stop us, how? By telling your Major Richards? Do you think he will believe you? Even if he did, what do you think he could do, against us?" And she lifted her beautiful head proudly, with Alesandro smirking at her side. 

Somehow, to the total bewilderment of the team, the two weren't quite so beautiful anymore, rather sinister even. Something about the shape of the mouth was wrong, seeming to indicate more teeth than should be present; and the hands, that curve turned them more to claws than anything else. And those voices, the voices that had charmed them so, well they were not alluring now, but rather repellent. They looked at each other, wide-eyed, wondering. Chief let his hand drift to his right sleeve, caressing that switchblade, feeling the reassurance of it under his fingers. 

"And why would you WANT to stop us? You're not so different from us; you're certainly not like THEM! They are prey; you know that! You feed on prey; you don't nest with it!" Somehow those words weren't adding to the comfort level of any of the men in the room. "And your Major Richards? Him and the others up in London? They value our services; I doubt they will deny us a little amusement once in awhile."

"You are wrong about Major Richards, at least; he tends to be a little conservative, about more than a few things, and I am rather sure this would be one of them. And whether we are more alike than would seem obvious, I'm not sure that is true, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that THESE, THESE are MINE, and I do not look with kindness on those seeking to take, to harm that which is mine. So, you will leave. I don't care what you tell Major Richards, but you will leave. And you will take great care not to come near, much less, threaten, cause harm in any way to any who I might call mine, any my Clan might call theirs. For there are ways to stop you, you know that; I have no compunction about using those ways. The little addition to your drinks earlier proves that!"

The two conferred, their faces now sullen and dark with anger and some modicum of fear. Finally, Alesandro turned and spoke, "all right, these are yours. But you opened the field a great deal. How will we KNOW who else you might call yours, who your Clan might call theirs?"

And the snarl that came was rich and fierce, with an underlying hiss of controlled rage, "I'd just suggest you be very, very careful, and do a lot more research into connections before you try this again. Of course, you MIGHT just satisfy yourself with the killing you are being paid to do against the Nazi's. Perhaps you might satisfy yourself with that for awhile." And with a look of total ice, "and even then, I'd suggest you do your research; the Allies and the Clan are not in agreement on EVERYTHING, you know."

And the looks in the room were most interesting, ranging from the defeated (at least for now) Lexi and Alesandro's bitter acceptance, from the implacable resolution in the faces of Meghada and Cally, and the sheer 'will someone tell me what the HELL is going on!' look shared by Lieutenant Garrison and the team. 

After the two left, and the gates shut behind them, the library eruped in a demand for explanations, "And NOW, damnit!" And Cally told of what she knew, and Meghada told of what she had seen in them, the way each of the men had responded, and how she herself found herself responding by the second meeting. She left out the whole Machlyes part, or the possible Siren connection; she had no desire for them to commit her for psychiatric examination, after all, and they were new in their interaction with the Clan and all the things that could be that they had never dreamed of.

{"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,"} she thought to herself, but thought that even quoting the Bard might not make this any easier for them to accept. She watched them - their puzzled looks, then their faces as they remembered their interactions, their almost fawning acceptance of the two, emotions appearing, changing, being replaced by others, embarrassment leading the way, along with a bit of incredulity, it was all most amusing, that is, if Meghada and Cally were in the mood to be amused. But, truthfully, they weren't.

"But what made you call for help in the first place? I can understand, if as you say, Cally has some resistance to this sort of thing? Why did you realize you needed help?" She supposed that the question at least implied some acceptance of what had happened, which is more than she had really hoped for. And she poured two fingers from the bourbon bottle she had also brought, not being able to stomach the brandy, into all the glasses, and took a long drink from her own, and heaved a very deep sigh.

"My reactions were off; so far off, I found myself smiling on the outside and hissing at myself on the inside for smiling. Between my accepting what I saw, what I would never have accepted with equinimity and my own missish reactions to those two, well, it wasn't ME! There have been a lot of words used to describe me, I'll be the first to admit, but missish has never been one of them." A snort of agreement from her cousin seemed to prove that out.

"That made me decide to call Cally, though really, I must admit, more to convince me I was just reacting badly from some silliness of my own. What made me call her THEN, in the middle of the night, though, that was because of the nightmare," and her eyes, looking at each of them, were haunted. Then she told them of the dream, of standing there in the open, listening to Lexi talking on a telephone, telling some long drawn out story, out in the middle of the Mansion grounds, where a telephone had no business being. Of being so interested, so absorbed in what the dark haired woman was saying that she ignored all other sounds, all other voices, focusing all her attention only on that voice. And when hearing other voices rising behind her, felt only anger at them interruping, disturbing her hearing of that enthralling voice, telling that story. Til Lexi hung up the phone and turned around and smiled at her, that ever so knowing, so triumphant and amused smile, looking at Meghada and then up and behind her. And Meghada had turned, to see Alesandro standing there, dripping knife in his hand, and the bodies of each of the team lying there, dead, slashed and mutilated at his hand. All, dead, killed while she blocked her ears to their voices, to their cries for help, while she listened to the ever so entrancing Lexi. And hearing Alesandro chuckle, and say, "they just stood there too, you know, listening, til I struck that first blow. Like sheep to the slaughter. Far too easy a hunt, not nearly as much of a challenge as we'd thought to have. We thought you would try and defend them; we thought you would try and save them. But you are just as easily led astray as they were. Such a pity, rather a bore, you know, hardly worth the effort." And she'd gone to each of them, seeing their faces, seeing their eyes accusing her, asking her why she hadn't tried to protect them, and she didn't have an answer, except for her own weakness, and her tears and screams woke her from the nightmare.

She was now hunched in the chair, clutching that glass, and her eyes were sick with what she remembered seeing, and the tears glazed her eyes but did not fall. No one knew quite what to do, what to say.

Actor broke the silence, "will they stay away now? Will your threats deter them, or do we need to be on guard?"

Cally gave a harsh laugh, "there is certainly no way I would tell you NOT to be on guard, but I don't think they'll try again, not with any of you. She was telling the truth, you know. There are ways to stop them permanently, and the Clan WILL use them if they try their tricks against any on the Friends and Family List, where you are all included, as you should know by now," sparing them a solemn smile.

She frowned at her cousin, "Meghada, I told you; it is not your fault you were taken in; you resisted enough to see what was happening, enough to call for help. That you delayed that, somewhat, well, that is understandable as well; you were right in being alarmed at your reaction; you were just mistaken in what was causing the reaction. We have different talents, cousin; I will most likely be calling on you for yours one of these days."

Garrison and the others weren't sure that clarified anything any better, but one thing stood out. "You were mistaken in what was causing your concern?" he asked, and the quick raising of her head, the wide-eyed look, the deep flush, that wasn't something they'd seen in the self-possessed young woman before. They got the feeling she'd have rather he hadn't asked that question.

She finally gave a deeply rueful laugh, shaking her head, still flushed with embarrassment, "my fault, Lieutenant," taking a fast sheepish glance around the room, lingering just a bit longer on their Englishman. "I knew there was a monster in the room; I just thought it was a green-eyed one! I'd never met that one before, either, you know," and her smile was more than a little self-deprecating, a bit wistful, "never expected to." That got a few raised eyebrows and puzzled look or two, but from one small flaxen-haired Englishman, the look wasn't so much puzzled as speculative, perhaps a little bit hopeful.


End file.
